George Welsh was the ACC Coach of the Year in his second season at Virginia. Al Groh was the ACC Coach of the Year in his second season with the Cavaliers. Mike London was the ACC Coach of the Year in his second season at U.Va.

This is — cue Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" theme — Bronco Mendenhall's second season at Virginia.

Now I doubt that Mendenhall becomes the fourth consecutive Cavaliers coach to be honored by the conference in Year 2 of his tenure. But his credentials, eight returning starters on defense and an accommodating schedule bode well for progress.

Granted, the bar is low. Virginia (2-10, 1-7 ACC) dropped its final seven games of 2016 to assure the program's fifth straight losing record.

Two hours southwest, aspirations and expectations are strikingly different as Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente also enters his second season. And that Hokies-Cavaliers Year 2 contrast is a compelling storyline as the commonwealth awaits football 2017.

Not the lone source of intrigue, mind you. Christopher Newport welcomes rookie head coach Art Link, while William and Mary's Jimmye Laycock continues Division I football's longest active tenure — this marks his 38th season leading his alma mater.

Reigning national champion James Madison and Colonial Athletic Association rival Richmond are consensus preseason top-10 teams. Former CAA champ Old Dominion attempts to build upon last year's 10-3 record, which included a Bahamas Bowl conquest of Eastern Michigan.

Frank Beamer coached Virginia Tech to at least 10 wins in each of its first eight ACC seasons, and last year he turned over to Fuente a program with 23 consecutive winning seasons. Talk about pressure. Talk about standards.

Fuente never flinched. He not only tended to Beamer's legacy but also upgraded Tech's offense, the combination propelling the Hokies (10-4, 6-2) to their first ACC championship game since 2011. Fuente earned league Coach of the Year honors, the first to do so in his debut season since Maryland's Ralph Friedgen in 2001.

Only the seventh coach in major college football's modern era to inherit a program with at least 23 straight winning years, Fuente knows how fortunate he was that Beamer and Bud Foster, the Hokies' venerable defensive coordinator, assisted his transition.

"It doesn't work unless people are professional," Fuente said. "It doesn't work unless they conduct themselves in a professional manner. A large reason for how smooth this has been has been Bud and his professionalism and his excitement and love for Virginia Tech, and I've just really enjoyed the past year-and-a-half."

U.Va. football in pictures.

Now college coaches often say players improve most between their freshman and sophomore years. But what about the man in the mirror?

By Year 2 on a job, a head coach has installed his system, learned his personnel and swapped out his courtesy car. He's comfortable, familiar and doesn't need GPS to find the office.

But how that translates on the field depends. Was the program thriving or failing when the transition occurred? Did the roster's best talents welcome or undermine the new staff? Is the schedule manageable?

The ACC's 14 current head coaches illustrate the point. Collectively, their 26 second seasons leading college programs, at any level, produced 31 more victories than their inaugural years, an average improvement of 1.2 wins.

Miami's Mark Richt, previously at Georgia, went from 8-5 in Year 1 with the Bulldogs to 13-1. But Boston College's Steve Addazio, then at Temple, went from 9-4 to 4-8 with the Owls. Fuente dipped from 4-8 to 3-9 at Memphis, but Mendenhall jumped from 6-6 to 11-2 at Brigham Young.

In concert with offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen, Fuente last season developed junior-college transfer Jerod Evans into an indispensable quarterback. But Evans and his two best receivers, Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges, turned pro a year early, creating a steep climb to 10 or more wins in 2017.

September dates with West Virginia and Clemson and back-to-back November road tests at Miami and Georgia Tech heighten the challenge.

Should Tech extend its streak of bowl appearances to 25 seasons? Will the Hokies contend for a second consecutive Coastal Division title?

Virginia hasn't cracked the final top 25 since 2004, but if the Cavaliers don't manage four to six victories, their straits are more dire than many fans feared. Several reasons.

First, Mendenhall, 99-43 in 11 years with BYU, is more familiar with his personnel. Second, he has a worthy incumbent quarterback in Kurt Benkert and All-ACC defensive cornerstones in linebacker Micah Kiser and safety Quin Blanding. Third, the schedule begs for a quick start.

Virginia opens with William and Mary (5-6 last season), Connecticut (3-9) and Indiana (6-7), all at home, followed by a trip to Boise State (10-3). The Cavaliers then host Duke (4-8) in their ACC opener.

'Tis not preposterous to suggest U.Va. could be 4-1 entering its Oct. 14 game at North Carolina. And after the Tar Heels, Virginia returns home to face Boston College.

If that encouraging start doesn't unfold, the Cavaliers' final five opponents — Pitt, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami and Virginia Tech were a combined 45-21 last season — could compound the punishment.

"I think we relish the chance where we can from the sideline, in practice, or a game say where this is going to be good," Mendenhall said. "I think that's what any great teacher and anyone that cares about young people, that's what we want."

Teel can be reached y phone bat 757-247-4636 or by email at dteel@dailypress.com. For more from Teel, read his blog at dailypress.com/teeltime and follow him at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP.